Newlyn Harbour Commissioners in shake-up.

Yesterday's meeting (Tuesday) of the NPHC to re-appoint several members who were on one year terms has created something of a stir. It appears that, following the meeting, two members, including the vice chair have resigned (citing other commitments) and three were removed in questionable circumstances (see the letter below).

While still sceptical, many have been giving the new commissioners the benefit of the doubt - despite them turning down what appeared to be a gift horse of a new market for less than the cost of running the existing building -that, after being in post for a year and operating in line within the remit of good governance for Trust ports, the results of their efforts would soon begin to show.

Instead, this latest fiasco - remember this is, or was until very recently England's largest fishing port - will now only serve to rekindle all the old feelings that the port is continuing to serve the interests of a limited number of stakeholders over the rest. Componded by the fact that, the three who were pushed out all represented the local community and had given up huge amounts of personal time and effort in contributing towards the changes planned for the port.

Here is the letter that Dave Mundy handed to the Chairman of the Commissioners this morning:

"I am writing this letter with great sadness and have carefully considered the situation overnight. I was shocked at the meeting yesterday, the way it was called and conducted, I am unclear if what was done, was actually constitutional. I believe the actions taken yesterday by the Commission, have actually brought the Commission into disrepute, as well as being grossly unfair. I do agree with you that certain Commissioners are not acting “independently and in good faith in the best interests of the trust port and all its stakeholders”; however these are not the ones, that have been purged from the Commission. What has been done is to remove the three independent “community” Commissioners in a most unfair way.

When the new Commission was constituted I had high hopes that we could make real progress and have felt that in the last few months progress was slowly being made. However it appears that certain factions were opposed to change and have manoeuvred very cleverly, to ensure that their own interests are preserved and that Newlyn can not move forward.

I cannot work with a Commission that has been so discredited, so very regretfully, I feel that I have no option, but to resign from the Board. I now believe that the Board is completely undermined and has brought itself into disrepute, that it should be dissolved and the DOT be asked to take over the management of the port, until a new board can be appointed.

On a personal level, I believe that I have worked hard for the Commission and fully supported you as chairman and the executive in its function, I had hoped to be able to devote more time to the Commission, with my impending retirement. I will now have more time to devote to my other interests, which I am pleased to say are making good progress".

Dave Munday

You couldn't write this in a novel and expect to get away with such an extravagant extended plot - could you? As they say, fact is always stranger than fiction! Who needs iPlayer to catch up with the soaps?